Their Time
by HoMeSicKNoMad
Summary: Serving time changes people. You can go in afraid of being part of a match set or be a master at hiding behind a mask of boredom; and yet, end up willingly be a part of a set, or even blushing like a child. Mai & Ty Lee friendship, hints of Maiko.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar

Walking unhurriedly along a hallway with two female guards trailing behind him, the warden taught about his new 'special prisoner'. He saw a glimpse of the young man before being placed in a cell minutes ago.

He recognized the boy as Zuko, traitor prince of the fire nation. Not that he actually knew the prince before, but his sister had been singing his praises ever since he returned from his banishment a while back, saying that his niece, Mai would be firelady one day.

Mai, he knew, did not have a mercenary mind as her mother. He could only thank Agni for that. He and his niece had spent some quality time in the bunker during the day of the eclipse. He couldn't believe that his brother-in-law and sister left the young teenager to her own devices. He understood that his brother-in-law was the governor of New Ozai, but allowing a girl to be on her own with her friends to face dangerous enemies?! What were they thinking?

He only had one sister, and Mai was the first child he'd actually been constantly exposed to, so, he was a bit protective of her, and treated her like the daughter he'd secretly hope to have.

He met up with her, right before they were ushered into metal bunkers underground. There, they had a chance to catch up. He was flabbergasted, to say the least, when he saw a hint of a blush on her face when her friend Ty Lee had teased her about her relationship with the prince.

And he was as furious as hell later, when he saw the expression on his niece's face when she had read the letter that the same prince left her.

Now, that he had a bit of time to cool down, a part of him wanted to tear the boy to shreds, and yet a part of him wanted to hug and rejoice.

That boy inspired reactions from his all too passive niece. He blamed his controlling sister for this and tried everything to get Mai to express herself more, but in the years, instead of expressing herself more, she expressed herself less, to the point of being afraid of caring for anything, containing her emotions and maintaining a bored facade. With Fire Prince Zuko, he suspects that Mai was slowly uncorking her bottled-up emotion and freely express herself. And for that, he had a healthy respect for the prince, even though he was a traitor.

One of the female guards opened the door to the cell. He saw immediately the pale looking boy, leaning on the wall with his arms cross – a pose he'd seen numerous times on his niece.

"Well, well, well, I'd never thought I'd find you in here", he takes a step forward "Prince Zuko".

Prince Zuko looks at him in surprise, "How did you know who I am?"

"How could I not?" The Warden's brows furrowed, this boy was too arrogant for his own good, "You broke my niece's heart"

Zuko stands up straighter, "you're Mai's uncle?". He saw the prince's expression change to that of a lost child – more telling than if the prince actually told him he had strong feelings for his niece, "I never meant to hurt her".

"QUIET! You're my special prisoner now", knowing that Mai wouldn't want this boy to be harmed unnecessarily, "And you best behave, if these criminals find out who you are, The traitor prince who let his nation down, why they'd tear you to shreds"

"So, what's in it for you? Why don't you just tell my father and collect a reward?", said Zuko venomously.

"Oh, in due time, believe me, I intend to collect", thinking of the retribution his niece would surely give the Prince.

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The movement of the gondola stirs back to life.

"Who's that?" came the confused voice of the impersonating guard as he looked out the window.

After a moments hesitation, the banished prince's shocked voice came, "It's Mai".

The warden froze in his struggling as he heard this, he stared unseeingly at his captor's back. His niece?! Help break his record?

Mai was loyal to a fault, and passive for most of her young life. If it was indeed Mai, then she was actually showing her defiance, she was showing her passion.

And although, it was a passion that is helping break his record, he couldn't seem to be as furious as he should be.

His passive niece was now actively showing her passionate spirit to everyone instead of hiding it behind a cold smile and a bored look; he just hoped that her belief was wrong, that she won't be shut down for it.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Don't own Avatar

They were being shipped off to the prison near the Firenation Capitol two days after her-their 'betrayal'. Mai and Ty Lee hadn't been able to talk since that faithful day as they were separated after Azula gave her command.

Now, both girls were in chains and sitting beside each other on the ground at the bottom of the ship, and were flanked by prison guards.

They were silent for most of the trip, Mai, uncomfortable with saying things that she needed to say in front of many people, and Ty Lee, knowing Mai's discomfort.

Mai gave a long sigh, "The trip was faster on the air ship"

Ty Lee grinned, "Yeah, it was".

"Thanks Ty Lee" came Mai's solemn voice.

"I'm your friend, Mai, you don't have to thank me", Ty lee turned her face towards the girl beside her, "She was going to hit you with lightning. She was going to kill you; I never thought she would"

"I didn't either, Ty Lee" Mai sighed, "what happened? Were we ever her friends?"

"I think we were, even though she didn't want us to be", Ty Lee glanced down at her bound hands, "she always tried to control us with fear, but we've known each other since we were kids, and we were too innocent to be afraid of her, then"

Mai snorted, not because she didn't believe the other girl, but because she did; most people think she's stupid but honestly the girl was perceptive, she just uses her bubbly attitude to fool people.

"So, you LOVE Zuko more than you fear her, huh?!", Ty lee grinned, a glint of merriment was shone in her wide eyes.

Mai looked abruptly at Ty Lee, her face flushing as a couple of prison guards, obviously eavesdropping, spared her glances.

"I cannot believe you just jumped to that", Mai raised an eyebrow at Ty Lee. Her tinted cheeks belied her unaffected tone.

"So, you've finally admitted it to yourself", Ty Lee bumped her shoulders to Mai's affectionately (as it was the only movement they could make at the moment), "took you long enough, you've been in denial for forever"

Mai turned her face to Ty Lee's and gave her an icy glare. "You're not going to make me forget that, are you?"

"Nope, so, let me guess, you haven't told him yet"

Mai sighed and looked unseeingly in front of her, "You, apparently know more about that than I do"

"Zuko's stronger by the way", Mai turned to Ty Lee again and raised her eyebrow at the abrupt jumping to yet another topic, "I thought you'd like to know, I'm not sure if you saw him fighting. His flame was more controlled, more powerful—I can't find a fitting way to describe it, it's as if he truly mastered his element, I think if given time, he'd beat Azula"

"He shot a flame at the ground, and the guard uncle sent to guard me instinctively blocked my path, it gave him the time to escape from me" Mai said monotonously, "but, you're right, I wasn't able to appreciate the flame he created"

Ty Lee wasn't fooled by the tone in which her friend said those words.

"Smart", Mai shot Ty Lee a disbelieving look, "look, Zuko was just looking out for you"

"Your uncle visited me in my cell, he said that he liked Zuko for you"

"He wasn't singing that tune after the invasion" commented Mai flatly.

"He said as a guy, he understood Zuko, that Zuko just didn't want to bring you down with him", Ty Lee glanced at Mai "and you'd have gone with him, Mai; we both know that if I didn't block you're chi at that cruel Agni Kai, you'd have been banished too"

"We've never talked about that", observed Mai, her tone suggesting that the other girl should just drop it.

"Well, we're full-blown traitors now, I don't see how it could harm us", Ty Lee looking imploringly at Mai, and at not having seen what she was looking for gave a long sigh, "will you ever forgive me for that?"

Mai felt as if something was stuck in her throat, "If you hadn't, I wouldn't be in the situation to save him 2 days ago"

"You didn't answer the question"

An uncomfortable silence fell around the room.

"How could you?" Mai hissed and her remembered pain evident in her tone, her eyes fixed murderously on the ground and face set, "you were my friend, and you stopped me from doing what was right. Zuko never lost his honour that day, you and the other people present there knew it"

"A 5-year-old child could have stopped that blast but he didn't, he allowed his father to punish him because he thought his father had grounds to punish him" Mai continued, bottled-up emotions slowly pouring out with every word, almost choking her in the process, "it was disgusting, everyone laughed as their prince suffered. And he suffered for THEM. All he did was stand up for a bunch of young soldiers who would have been sacrificed to win a bigger battle".

Mai fought to regain her composure and succeeded, blank eyes regarded Ty Lee, "Even now, I don't understand why you did? You thought it was wrong too"

"I did it because you were my friend", said Ty Lee quietly after a while, "and I did it because I was Zuko's friend too, he wouldn't have wanted you to be banished with him, and he couldn't have stood a chance if you asked to go with him… He said I was right, I told him about what I did at Ba Sing Se, he thought you'd forgotten him"

Mai gave a long sigh and fought for her controlled and composed self, "I don't need to be cosseted. I can fight my own battles, Ty. You and Zuko aren't my keeper, you don't have to protect me"

Ty Lee smiled, Mai had called her 'Ty', which meant they were okay.

"You know, boys!...They have this Neanderthal notion that they have to protect 'their' women, even from themselves", Ty Lee bumped her shoulders to Mai's again, "I'm really, really, sorry"

Mai let out a disbelieving snort, "No, you're not, if given the chance, you'd do the same thing over again", Mai turned to her and looked at her flatly "it's truly okay Ty; so, you can now stop declaring my story to the world"

"We're docking, secure the prisoners!!" said a guard who had been at deck.

As they walked out the ship, one after the other with an overwhelming amount of guards around them to escort them to their new prison, all they could do was grin at each other in camaraderie.

"Ugh, do you have any _pink_ prison garbs? Maroon contrasts my personality a lot"

Mai just shook her head at her friend's antics, while more than one of the guards threw Ty Lee a death glare.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Don't own Avatar

* * *

Most of the thieves and criminals of the Fire Nation were most often than not sent to the boiling rock as their inability to conform to the rules of their society was looked upon as treason. As a consequence, only the weakest of the firenation criminals were sent here, the rest, were war prisoners, easily accessible to the generals and admirals had they any need to question them.

In this prison, even without their leader, the kyoshi warriors' training continued as they had before being captured; although, their training wasn't as regular as before. What? With the frequent lock-downs, it was impossible.

The guards and the other prisoners used to bother them at first—mocking their dedication and saying how futile their training would be, as they'd never be able to fight another day for the earth kingdom.

But they quickly stopped after being at the receiving end of various jabs and kicks; and besides when more war prisoners arrived at the prison, the guards didn't want to risk it.

The prisoners from the invasion took to watching the warriors train, and some of them even joined their training, taught them a few techniques and learned from them too—even the benders, as they weren't allowed to bend.

Today, as all those from the invasion and the warriors gathered, they didn't immediately start their training. It seemed that the whole prison was buzzing about the news that the infamous 'Boilong Rock', the most exemplary prison of the Fire nation, recently broke their record of being inescapable.

The guards had whispered about it the day before, but now, they didn't even mind if their words carried along to the prisoners who were all itching to know any news about the outside world.

"Prisoners are going to arrive today from the boiling rock!" came a guard's voice

"I heard that they helped the other prisoners escape"

"I heard that it was Prince Zuko who saved the prisoners, maybe he's one of them!"

"I haven't seen the fire prince, but my cousin says he's the most handsome guy she's ever laid eyes on, even the scar is becoming!" said a gushing female guard

"Don't be stupid, An, if he was captured, he'd be sent straight to his father and be dead by now!"

"You lot are wrong, they said that the prisoners had been plotting against the guards and about 50 prisoners escaped!"

"QUIET!", the warden's booming voice reached the courtyard where the bunch of guards had converge to gossip instead of keeping a close eye on the prisoners around them.

The command had an immediate effect, the whole of the prison guards were immediately 'looking alive' and took their posts; their stances perfect.

Bato had to give it to them, the people of the Fire nation were disciplined, almost mechanical in their bearing. They had had to be, and even in his position, he felt pity for them. He recognized that these people probably had little fun in their lives. They were all trained, their reactions and ideals were not even their own but that of the people of higher power. They had no freedom to speak of and what was worse, was that they don't even realize it.

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"This prison is like the boiling rock!", Ty Lee commented and looking sideways toward Mai, "minus the gondola, and the boiling lake, oh and the fact that its not in the middle of the volcano and is completely made of metal"

"Yep, it's SO like the boiling rock" came Mai's sarcastic remark.

"I can see the edge of crater city"

The guards urged them in where they were me with the warden, an arrogant smirk on his face, "well, well, well, if it isn't Lady Mai, How did you're uncle take it when he broke the record of the 'Boiling rock'… If it had been me, it would never had happen"

With her head held high, Mai regarded the warden with a raised eyebrow, "You must be Lei jin, the warden who was the last choice for the 'boiling rock'" Mai smirked at the flushing of the warden's face, "We've heard it mentioned that you're incompetence rivals no one, and that you're assigned to this prison as immediate back- up can come at once"

"THROW THEM IN THERE! NOW"

Ty Lee could only giggle when the guards directed Mai and herself towards the yard where most of the prisoners were about.

The guards methodically unbound their wrist before they stepped into the yard. Mai noticed that they were garnering the sole attention of guards and prisoners alike.

"I wonder if they remember they hadn't directed us to our cells yet" Mai commented dryly.

Ty Lee giggled again before launching at her friend and giving her a hug. Mai, as Ty Lee guessed froze in her arms before relaxing into the hug. It had been the first time their hands had been unbound in each others company.

On the upper landing, the booming voice of the warden came, "PRISONERS, THOSE TWO HAVE BETRAYED YOUR PRINCESS AZULA AND HELPED IN THE ESCAPE OF 5 FUGITIVES INCLUDING THE BANISHED PRINCE FROM THE BOILING ROCK, I TRUST YOU GIVE THEM A WARM WELCOME", smirking at the ladies before going to his office.

"Stupid", said Mai monotonously, "Uncle said riots were dangerous for the prison as a whole not just the prisoners"

Ty Lee, who had released her friend from the bone-breaking hug when she heard the warden, merely smiled, she'd been aching for a fight after being virtually motionless for 2 long days.

Both girls viewed the scene before them. They knew that they would be attack by the stupid ones. It was well known that the nobility was known for raising the best fighters, after all, it was them who could afford to train with the best masters and have the best opportunity to develop their skills

And as expected, few fires were aimed at them. After being friends with the two most powerful firebenders their age, the flames were too tame for them that it was horribly easy for them to dodge.

Ty Lee took no time in blocking the chi of the 4 firebenders who were stupid enough to near her. Mai was throwing punches and kicks every which way, connecting powerfully with her opponents and skillfully blocking and dodging the attacks coming her way. She smirked, it had been a long time since she engaged in an absolute hand-to-hand combat.

In less than a minute, they had immobilized their attackers, with what the other prisoners saw as a testament to all the fights they have fought together. They fought so fluidly with each other, knowing that the other had their back and confident in both their abilities.

Both were now in their fighting stance, their back to each other and eyeing the other prisoners closing in on them.

After a pause, the prisoners gradually eased up knowing that they stood no chance with the two girls AND the war prisoners slowly making their way towards them.

Mai and Ty Lee didn't ease up in their fighting stances when the warriors reached them.

"Relax, we won't do anything to you", said Bato, "You are one of us, now, enemies of the firenation"

Mai gave a long sigh and stood up straight. Ty Lee shrugged and did the same.

A man who wore glasses and a preoccupied look on his face came up to them and asked, "So, who did you help escape from the inescapable prison?"

"Oh, I didn't help them escape, Mai did" Ty Lee wiggled her eyebrows in Mai's direction, "Although, she did it to save a particular banished prince"

Mai raised an eyebrow at Ty Lee.

"Right, I shouldn't be proclaiming your love for Zuko for all to hear, seeing as he hasn't heard the sentiment from you yet", Ty Lee frowned in thought, "but I think Zuko would have to be daft not to have figured it out yet"

Ty Lee was oblivious to Mai's glare and regarded the group, "Mai helped Zuko, the water tribe boy named Sokka, Azula's favourite prisoner whose name escapes me, but I do remember that she's the leader of the Kyoshi warriors, and two guys I don't know"

"It's Suki, and my uncle said one was named Hakoda, and I don't know who the other one was"

"Suki's all right?" asked one of the girls, who Mai & Ty Lee, remembers as one of the Kyoshi warriors. Warriors, as trained as they were, don't forget faces.

"Yeah, she and the others were long gone before a ship was sent to search for them, they escaped on Azula's air ship"

"Why was the Fire Prince with them?" asked a man, obviously an earthbender.

"Zuko is the avatar's firebending teacher, now; he left during the invasion after confronting his father" Mai said dully, "he was deemed as a traitor the same day"

The warriors around them smiled slightly, renewed hope shining more brightly in their eyes, and relief evident in their bearing. Mai and Ty Lee were baffled at this development.

After a while, Bato addressed Ty Lee, "Ok, if you didn't help them, why are you here?"

"She saved me from Azula" came Mai's husky unaffected voice.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: Still down own Avatar ----so sad... :0(

A/N: this was inspired by scene in TBR wherein Sokka and Hakoda were talking and Hakoda said he _knew of_ Zuko.

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Mai and Ty Lee found themselves sitting on the ground amongst the warriors from the invasion, watching the Kyoshi warriors train. A tentative peace between them after both girls had informed them how they ended up in prison.

"So, don't you girls feel like you lose your identity when wearing uniforms?" Ty Lee's questioning voice breaking the awkward silence.

The kyoshi warriors stopped in their training and regarded Ty Lee questioningly, "what do you mean?"

"Well, aren't you afraid of not ever being your individual person?", Ty Lee stood up from her spot on the ground, "We fought you before, not only do you wear the same uniforms, you have the same fighting style, you're weapon of expertise is the same… its-its…"

"What she means to say is that she can't understand why you'd want to be part and parcel of a matched set", Mai said monotonously from her spot on the ground.

"Yeah, what she said", Ty Lee looked to the young women in front of her, "you're even referred to as the 'kyoshi warriors', most people here probably don't know your individual names"

"We're a team"

"But, Mai, Azula & I were a team", Ty Lee shot a small smile at Mai, "We dress differently, we fight differently…the princess, the acrobat and the assassin – separate individuals not one and the same"

"Maybe that's why we're standing as one and you 3 are divided" came a sassy remark from one of the warriors.

The remark hit a nerve causing Ty Lee to tear up a bit.

Without warning, the said warrior was pinned to a wall by a knife with Mai towering over her.

"I thought they relieve prisoners of all their weapons"

"Not if they don't know exactly how many knives you have", Mai neared the girl and removed the knife, "Fighting was something the three of us did together, just for the fun of it, nothing more"

Ty Lee smiled knowing her friend was just being protective of her. She placed a hand on Mai's shoulder, "Maybe they have a point. We weren't on the same footing. We fought for the fun of it, and we also had our own different reasons. To me, it was bonding time with my 2 closest friends, to you, it was to escape boredom and catch a glimpse of a certain banished prince, to Azula, it was to make her father proud and prove she wasn't Zuko"

"Fighting in a war is fun?!", A huge man with a small voice asked dubiously.

Mai turned around to face her friend and the warriors around them, "We weren't fighting in a war, we were chasing Azula's brother and consequently the Avatar"

"Consequently?", Bato gaze intensely at both girls, "so, its true, what people say. That Prince Zuko was burned & banished by his own father…and that he couldn't return home without the Avatar?"

"Among other things", Mai said as she sat back down on her spot with Ty Lee right beside her.

"What do you mean that the princess wanted to prove to her father she wasn't Zuko?", Bato sat across them, "If Zuko was my son, I'd be proud of him"

"I mean he's probably one of the most powerful firebenders his age" added one man from the water tribe who also neared them, " I heard he's beaten generals, admirals and other benders with more experience than he does!"

"Why would his father be proud of that when he had a daughter who could beat those high-ranking soldiers when she was only ten?" said Ty Lee.

"He fights honourably", added one of the kyoshi warriors, "he burned our village to get the Avatar, but when Aang left, he left us alone, if it were anyone else they'd have burned our village to the ground and killed most if not all of us just because they can!"

Mai merely raised an eyebrow at her.

"Uhm – Firelord Ozai burned and banished Zuko because he spoke out of turn at a war meeting", Ty Lee said hesitantly, "they were going to send young Fire Nation soldiers up against experienced Earth Kingdom soldiers as bait while another regiment would attack from behind…Zuko thought it was wrong and said so to the general who proposed the plan"

Everyone stared blankly at them, clearly at a loss for words.

"And he was burned and banished for that?!" asked Bato incredulously

"No, he was ordered to fight in an Agni Kai – a fire duel" Mai said monotonously, obviously trying to seem unaffected by it all.

Ty Lee reached for her hand and faced the crowd who was by now sitting around them, "He and the rest of us thought it was going to be against the general, but it wasn't, it was against his own father. He didn't fight back, he didn't block…he just took the hit"

"That just validates our point", Bato said after a moment of silence, "It is dishonourable for a son to fight back"

"So you mean he was right to just take the hit then" Mai said vehemently.

"No, I'm saying his father was wrong in his actions" Bato said calmly.

"His father wasn't only wrong", the mechanist snorted, "he was stupid if everything we heard about the fire prince is true. Having a son like that on his side, we don't have a chance at winning this war. Now that he's on our side, the chances of us succeeding improves"

Mai raised an eyebrow at him, "Excuse me?"

"Even if the Avatar beat the firelord, there will still be a war if their successor – the crown prince will be on their side. If the prince is anything we have heard he is, then we may actually see peace"

Ty Lee glanced sideways at him with a questioning look, "What have you heard?"

"We heard that he's relentless and determined. An enemy to be reckoned"

"We heard that no matter how many times he failed, fell and got hurt, he'd just keep standing right back up and fighting back", said an earth bender, "we heard his ship was blown up when he was in it, but not even a day later he stowed away on a naval ship to the north pole and actually had the avatar within his grasp"

"It is said that no cause is lost with Prince Zuko", said Bato, "after all it was impossible and foolish to search for the Avatar, but he did find him. No cause is lost, if there was but one fool left to fight for it."

"Oh, so that suppose to make me feel better?!" Mai said standing up.

Ty Lee slowly stood up and faced her friend, "Yes Mai, you should be proud of Zuko. He has always been the Champion of those who can't fight for themselves, and Zuko always fought for whatever he believed was right and when he fought, there was no question of him winning or losing that fight because he wouldn't stop unless he did win! Not even when he fell and failed countless times!"

"He takes chances no one in his right mind would take, Ty!" Mai said glaring at her friend, "No cause is lost if there was but one fool left to fight for it. Am I suppose to be happy knowing that Zuko would be that fool?!"

In ways only a friend would know, Ty Lee knew even when there were no telltale signs of it that Mai was trying her best to hold back tears.

Ty Lee grabbed her friend in a hug, "He'd be the fool the world needs, Mai. During and after this Agniforsaken war"

And that was all that was needed to be said before Mai broke down and cried.

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A/N: Thoughts???


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